ARPA-H-SN-26-142_TIGAR SN.pdf

Special Notice (SN) ARPA-H-SN-26-142

Proposers’ Day Announcement for Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) / Health Science

Futures (HSF) Office Opportunity: Technology InteGrator and Accelerator (TIGAR)

I. KEY INFORMATION

Table 1. Proposers’ Day Key Information Webinar May 14th, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET Website for registration https://solutions.arpa-h.gov/events Registration opens April 22nd, 2026 Registration closes May 12th, 2026 at 12:59 PM ET Technical Point of Contact Gloria Elliott, PhD

Program Manager, ARPA-H / HSF Office

II. INTRODUCTION

This Special Notice (SN) is intended to alert the scientific community to a newly approved Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) solicitation and notify potential proposers of an associated Proposers’ Day (PD) sponsored by the Health Science Futures (HSF) Office. Under the cognizance of the HSF Office, ARPA-H is publishing an Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) for the Technology InteGrator and AcceleratoR (TIGAR) Exploratory Topic on April 20th, 2026. Please monitor SAM.gov for updates under solicitation number ARPA-H-SOL- 26-144.

The PD will include a brief overview of TIGAR by government personnel to achieve the following objectives:

• Introduce the scientific community to the TIGAR Exploratory Topic.

• Share the scope, timeline, and scale of the TIGAR Exploratory Topic and how the proposers, in collaboration with the ARPA-H team and resources, can accomplish the collective mission of accelerating healthcare outcomes for all Americans.

• Provide information about the TIGAR Exploratory Topic to potential proposers, including details about the overall program goals and how they might respond to the TIGAR ISO, and how to prepare and submit a Solution Video and Full Proposal.

Potential proposers are encouraged to attend the optional PD virtually. ARPA-H will collect participant questions throughout the event and publish answers to a publicly available https://solutions.arpa-h.gov/events

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page located at: https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs .

Attendance at this event is not a requirement for submission of a Solution Video, Full Proposal, or selection for funding. Information relayed during the PD will be made available on the HSF Office section of the ARPA-H Opportunities page: https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR.

Advanced registration is required. Registration requests will only be accepted from the potential proposer community. Participation is not intended for patients, patient advocates, media, or a general interest audience.

III. TIGAR PROGRAM INFORMATION

While full details are provided in the ISO, the following is a brief description of the full TIGAR Exploratory Topic. Proposers should refer to the forthcoming TIGAR ISO for more details.

Overview

Exploratory Topics are fast-paced efforts that pursue topics strategically aligned with ARPA-H Mission Offices. They provide foundational proofs-of-concept to be used in future research.

The Technology InteGrator and AcceleratoR (TIGAR) Exploratory Topic will support evaluation of early-stage, high-risk, high-impact concepts to advance the development of temperature-flexible preservation solutions for complex tissues and organs.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), materials science, genetic engineering, bio-informatics, imaging, and other fields of biotechnology are offering new avenues for convergence that could accelerate entirely new preservation paradigms for complex tissues.

Together with the growing number of FDA-approved cell and tissue based therapies, and the collective momentum behind New Approach Methods (NAMs) to move beyond traditional animal testing, now is a pivotal moment for testing early-stage, feasibility-driven concepts for complex human tissue preservation. By catalyzing bold, high-risk, high-reward approaches at this inflection point, TIGAR will accelerate the development of transformative preservation concepts that unlock new capabilities in regenerative medicine, expand equitable access to advanced therapies, and reduce dependence on animal models. If successful, TIGAR will help establish the foundational tools, standards, and infrastructure needed to enable a new era of on-demand, deployable, and scalable human tissue preservation for widespread access and advancements in research and clinical settings.

Technical Approach

TIGAR will forge entirely new paths to stabilizing regenerative tissues and organs by seeding the development of enabling technologies that can unlock temperature-flexible storage in https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR increasingly larger and more complex biological systems. Solutions may involve any combination of new materials, artificial intelligence/machine learning, high-throughput screening methods, biological interventions, devices, processing methods, analytical technology, and packaging approaches that can overcome current roadblocks and yield a leap in the ability to store and distribute complex biologics, without introducing high cost or complexity. Strategies that reduce reliance on strictly controlled temperature zones and can ensure safe storage in a range of environmental conditions are preferred. While long-term temperature-flexible storage is ideal, any advance that removes logistical hurdles or establishes shelf-life stability at easy to maintain temperatures (preferably non-cryogenic) will be considered. Innovations at the cellular level without a strategy for deployment in thick tissues will not be considered.

TIGAR Structure

TIGAR Exploratory Topic will have two intake groups for the submission of well-scoped, early-stage, high-risk/high-impact bio-preservation concepts. To demonstrate concept feasibility, each approach should be structured as an 18-month period of performance (from kickoff to completion), comprising two 9-month phases with a go/no-go decision at the end of Phase 1.

Proposers must demonstrate progress towards functional preservation of either entire structures (organoids, organs, or organ sub-units) or one (1) cubic centimeter volumes of tissue for ≥30 days, at practical temperatures, attainable with conventional equipment (i.e., -80˚C, - 20˚C, 4˚C, 20˚C-25˚C room temperature) by the end of the performance period. Measurable progress should include demonstrating advances on a clearly identified technical hurdle, as well as demonstrating preservation of cell viability, function, and critical quality attributes specific to the proposed tissue system. The total ARPA-H funding requested shall not exceed $2 million USD over the 18-month period of performance. Preferred demonstration tissue systems are those that are currently challenging to biobank or stockpile, such as organoids, donated tissues, whole organs, organ sub-structures, vascularized allografts, and engineered tissues. Systems selected for demonstration may be vascularized or non-vascularized. See ARPA-H-SOL-26-144 for complete details.

IV. TIGAR – PROPOSERS’ DAY INFORMATION

Live Q&A

A live Q&A session will be led by the Program Manager and the Business Innovation Division (BID) during the TIGAR PD. TIGAR PD participants are encouraged to use this time to discuss questions related to TIGAR, including contracting questions you might have to discuss with our contracting experts. ARPA-H will collect participants’ questions and our responses and make them available on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at: https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs.

https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs

Registration Information

Participants must register in advance through the registration website. The registration will remain open until 48 hours before the start of the event. There is no registration fee for the TIGAR Proposers’ Day. Note that there will be no same-day registration. An online registration form and various other meeting details can be found at the registration website:

https://solutions.arpa-h.gov/TIGAR.

All inquiries should be submitted to TIGAR@arpa-h.gov. Please refer to the TIGAR Proposers’ Day (ARPA-H-SN-26-142) in all correspondence. Prior to submitting an e-mail inquiry, please check the General Program FAQ’s (https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs) to see if your question is answered there.

V. POINTS OF CONTACT

Technical Point of Contact

Gloria Elliott, Program Manager, ARPA-H / HSF Office Email: TIGAR@arpa-h.gov All inquiries should reference “TIGAR Proposers’ Day (ARPA-H-SN-26-142)” in the subject line of the email.

VI. WEBINAR INFORMATION

Virtual attendees will receive the link to the webinar once they are verified and registration is confirmed.

VII. DISCLAIMER

This SN is issued solely for information and potential new program planning purposes; the SN does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or solution summaries. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding award.

Submission of any information in response to the SN is voluntary and is not required to propose to subsequent ARPA-H ISOs or research solicitations on this or any other topic. ARPA- H will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this SN. Respondents are advised that ARPA-H is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this SN.

https://solutions.arpa-h.gov/TIGAR mailto:CATALYST@ARPA-H.gov https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs https://arpa-h.gov/research-and-funding/programs/TIGAR/faqs mailto:CATALYST@ARPA-H.gov